Atlanta-based CDC gets new acting director as leadership turmoil leaves agency reeling

In this photo provided by the Department of Health and Human Secretary, Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., right, conducts the swearing-in ceremony of Jim O'Neill as the Department's Deputy Secretary, June 9, 2025, in Washington. (Amy Rossetti/Department of Health and Human Services via AP)

This story was updated on Friday, Aug. 29 at 9:27 a.m.

NEW YORK (AP) — The nation’s top public health agency was left reeling Thursday as the White House worked to expel the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention director and replace her with Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. ‘s current deputy.

The turmoil triggered rare bipartisan alarm as Kennedy tries to advance anti-vaccine policies that are contradicted by decades of scientific research.